50 Ways to Leave Your Summer

Your 2017 guide to finding fall fun

By Kathy Knotts

Summer lingered a little longer this year, thanks to Gov. Hogan’s decree that public schools start after Labor Day. We had 13 weeks of sun, fun, beaches and boats. With the children settling back into their routines, we can now look ahead to Chesapeake Country’s best season.

With summer’s humidity wrung out, the air is light, skies often blue and leaves full of color. Autumn is clearly on the horizon.

This issue of Bay Weekly shows you how to sweetly kiss summer goodbye and welcome the wonders of fall. Here are 50 Ways to Leave Your Summer, a chronology of fun, fare and festivals stretching from the autumnal equinox to Thanksgiving.

1 Take an Equinox Hike

We pass from summer to fall with the autumnal equinox at 4:02pm on Friday, September 22, when the sun spends equal time above and below the horizon, balancing light and darkness. Bid summer farewell as you breathe in the fresh air of a new season on a weekend hike. 4-7pm, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Lothian, free, rsvp: 410-741-9330.

2 Hear Two Big Voices

Pack a picnic and outdoor seating to cross from summer into autumn enjoying the music of Troy Ramey — from NBC’s The Voice — and Bryan Frates, both singers whose careers prove that you can — with luck, work and good timing— live your dream; Frates F. Sept 22, 7-10pm, Calverton School, Huntington: $10. rsvp: www.calvertonschool.org

Explore the rolling farmland hills and Chesapeake shores as you visit the 17 artists of the Muddy Creek Artists Guild at work in their studios; a free illustrated guide helps you plan your tour. Artists offer refreshments, demos and music. Sept. 23-24, 11am-5pm: www.muddycreekartistsguild.org.

6 Meet Author ­Chimamanda Adichie for Maryland One Book

Every autumn, you can join thousands of Marylanders across the state in a giant book club, with discussions both in person (at many libraries) and online. This month, you can talk about this year’s One Book with its author. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — whose Purple Hibiscus was selected by the Maryland Humanities Council as Maryland’s 2107 One Book — joins her readers right here in Calvert County as well as in Gaithersburg and Baltimore.

Purple Hibiscus, Adichie’s debut novel, is the story of a family of privilege in Enugu, Nigeria, during the traumatizing days of a military coup. Its theme are the emotional turmoil of adolescence, the bonds of family and the bright hope of freedom. Purple Hibiscus won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Adichie was winner in 2008 of a MacArthur Genius Award. Her 2013 book Americanah was named one of the New York Times Top Ten Best Books of the Year. Her TED Talks are some of the most-viewed videos of all time.

Talk with Adichie Sun. Sept. 24 at the Baltimore Book Festival’s main Literary Salon at 2pm; Mon. Sept. 25 at Calvert High School in Prince Frederick at 7pm; or Tues. Sept. 26 at Gaithersburg High School at 7pm. rsvp: www.mdhumanities.org.

7 Savor Beer, Save Land

Enlarge your acquaintance with local brews while supporting a new campaign to preserve Holly Hill, the largest tract of unprotected land in Calvert County’s pristine Parkers Creek Watershed. Sip & Save with American Chestnut Land Trust and beer from four local and four state breweries. The jazz group The Junior Bryce Band plays, and Dream Weaver Café sells delicious local food. Take a butterfly walk and watch monarch tagging demos and tours of the farm and gardens; plus games, prizes and raffles. Sept. 23, 1-5pm, North Side Trailhead, Double Oak Farm, Prince Frederick, $20 w/discounts, rsvp: www.acltweb.org/index.php/index.php/

The Calvert County Fair is a hometown combination of carnival, midway, concert stage and agricultural exposition. See judged displays of home-canning, baking and crafts, with special events daily, including competitions for Calvert Idol, children’s contests, the crowning of Miss Tranquility and Lord Calvert, tractor pulls and concerts. Sept. 27-Oct. 1, Barstow: calvertcountyfair.com.

10 Calverton Golf Classic

Take a Friday off to compete on the greens. Sign up now for Calverton Golf Classic on Sept. 29, 9am, Oak Creek Golf Club, Upper Marlboro: $150 or $600/4, includes cart, golf, lunch and banquet. rsvp: www.calvertonschool.org.

The 27th West Annapolis Oktoberfest opens two blocks for German snacking, drinking and arts and crafts vendors with music from The Oom Pa Pa Band. Sept. 24, 10am-5pm, Annapolis St.: www.facebook.com/WestAnnapolisBiz.

The Second Annual Duckfest beer and music festival hosts musical guests Run Catch Rain, Josh Airhart and the Ryan Forrester Band, and lots of games and contests including cornhole, giant beer pong, giant Jenga, yard-drinking contest, yodeling contest plus face painting for kids and plenty of authentic German food and beer; benefits United Way of Calvert County and Bay-CSS. Oct. 1, 1-6pm, Ruddy Duck Brewery, Solomons, $20 w/discounts, rsvp: www.unitedwaycalvert.org.

Taste of North County, dig into dishes from over 25 North Anne Arundel County restaurants and caterers, with beer, wine and live music. Oct. 3, 6-8pm, La Fontaine Bleue, Glen Burnie; $30, rsvp: web.naaccc.com/events.

Taste of South County, sample the dishes and drinks of local restaurants, caterers, wineries and breweries; live music by Just Us. Oct. 12, 6-9pm, Historic London Town, Edgewater, $35, rsvp: www.tasteofsouthcounty.org.

The annual U.S. Boat Shows in Annapolis are Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for boat lovers. Hundreds of boats, including the newest models of many top lines, are on display in the water, tethered along a mile and a half of floating docks, all contained in an area of roughly five acres. Many of the boats you can board and explore. On land are even more boats as well as every piece of equipment you could need — or imagine you needed. Demos and lectures; food and drink. Sailboat Show Oct. 5-9; Powerboat Show Oct. 12-15, Annapolis; $18 per day w/age discounts: www.annapolisboatshows.com.

17 Maryland Jousting Championship

Watch riders aim their lances, six feet long and chiseled to the point of a needle, at a ring that may as well be a dust speck. Oct 7, 10am, Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds, Crownsville: http://marylandjousting.com/MJTAschedule.html.

18 Riverside WineFest at ­Historic Sotterley

Sample wines at the 15th annual Riverside WineFest, listen to live music and tour the grounds and garden of this national historic landmark. Oct. 7-8, noon-5pm, Historic Sotterley Plantation, Hollywood, $25 w/discounts: sotterley.org.

19 Oom-pah-pah

It’s Oktoberfest all season long at The Old Stein Inn in Edgewater. German-inspired musicians, both traditional and progressive, play every weekend. 1143 Central Ave., Edgewater: 410-798-6807.

20 Patuxent River Appreciation Days

River-directed exhibits and activities for all ages, including arts and crafts, boat building, live music, and free rides on the Wm. B. Tennison and Dee of St. Mary’s; food and drink sold. Oct. 7-8 with parade Sun. 2pm, Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, free: www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/311/PRAD.

21 Dining in the Field

Pull up a chair to dine al fresco along the Patuxent River at this elegant feast from local farms, chefs, wineries and brewers. Oct. 12, with cocktails at 4:30pm, dinner at 6pm. Briscoe Farm, St. Leonard; $165 benefits Calvert County Farm Bureau youth leadership programs: www.calvertfarmbureau.com/

No Italian necessary for the Annapolis Opera production of Mark Adamo’s American opera Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved story of four sisters’ growing pains, tragedy and romance after the Civil War. Nov. 3, 8pm & Nov. 5, 3pm at Maryland hall for the Creative Arts, $25-100, rsvp: www.annapolisopera.org.

24 Take a Crash Course in Opera

You’ll learn more this month than you have in a lifetime at Annapolis Opera’s lead-up to its premiere presentation of Little Women in November.

Consider how the page is transformed to the stage, Oct. 3, 7pm, Severna Park Library … Listen in as opera company members join the book club discussion of Little Women: Oct. 4, 2pm, Crofton Library … Learn from opera artistic director Ronald J. Gretz how musical themes and motifs carry you through the story in the opera: Oct. 7, 3pm, Maryland Hall; Travel with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Matteson into the genesis of Little Women in the lives of Alcott and her father: Oct. 29, 3pm, Maryland Hall … Consider with music authority Nancie Kennedy the tough job of an opera singer: Nov. 3, 6pm, & Nov. 5, 1pm, Maryland Hall … Finally, meet the composer: Mark Adamo talks about how he did it: Nov. 4, 5pm, Maryland Hall, $20, rsvp: www.annapolisopera.org.

25 Go Apple Picking

Nothing quite says fall like a fresh, crisp apple. Pick your own (and pumpkins, too) at Blades Orchard in Caroline County on the Eastern Shore. Make a day of it with a picnic, hayride and cider sampling. U-Pick every Sat. & Sun., noon-4pm thru October, Blades Orchard, Federalsburg: www.bladesorchard.com.

26 Slurp Up Oysters

With its cooler temperatures, October begins the season of the oyster in Chesapeake Country. For the next six months, oystermen resume their traditional labor, harvesting Crassostrea virginica in the wild. Thus, oyster festivals are in season, too.

Captain Avery Oyster Festival makes a day of it with local restaurants serving oysters raw, fried, in a basket, on a platter or on a roll, and in stew, soup, sushi or shooters; plus local arts and crafts, music, crab races, face painting and the Choose It! auction of goods and services. Buy $5 tickets for $5,000 raffle. Oct. 15, 12:30-5pm, Shady Side, $6 w/discounts: www.captainaverymuseum.org.

The U.S. Oyster Festival returns for its 51st year to St. Mary’s County. Saturday, chefs vie to win the National Oyster Cook-off, and you get to sample the same dishes judged by Bay Weekly editor Sandra Martin, former Baltimore Sun food columnist Rob Kasper and Gwyn Novak of No Thyme to Cook. Sunday brings the National Shucking Championship, whose winner goes to international competition in Galway, Ireland. Sat. Oct. 21, 10am-6pm, Sun. Oct. 22, 11am-6pm, County fairgrounds, Leonardtown, $10 w/discounts: www.usoysterfest.com.

When fall’s weather turns blustery, head indoors for a day of bowling at Lord Calvert Bowling Center in Huntingtown. Daily specials make bowling an attractive budget-friendly option for families, couples and parties: www.lordcalvertbowling.com.

29 Step Aboard a Haunted Ship

Celebrate the scary season at a costume party aboard the Maryland Dove in historic St. Mary’s City. The ship is transformed into a not-too-scary haunted vessel for trick or treating, face-painting and games. Oct. 21, 5:30-8pm: www.hsmcdigshistory.org.

30 Explore Legends by Lantern

Hear the horrific tale of Corporal Frank Scott, the first enlisted man to die in an aircraft accident, as you tour the College Park airfield by lamplight. Come in costume for a hayride, tour and hot cider. Oct. 28, tours at 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm, and an adults-only, extra-spooky tour at 8:30pm. College Park Aviation Museum; $10: www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com.

31 Find the Great ­Pumpkin

No need to spend the night in the pumpkin patch. These events bring the pumpkins to you.

Share in an evening of good food grown, prepared and served by neighbors who’ve bonded together over the last decade to preserve Goshen Farm the last farm on the Broadneck Peninsula. Harvest dinner with bread, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Oct. 14, 5-7:30pm, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Arnold, $10 w/discounts: http://goshenfarm.org/events/harvest-dinner.

Listen to bluegrass, view the handiwork of artisans from the period, see displays by watermen and tobacco farmers, sample homemade butter and ice cream and take a lesson in the one-room schoolhouse at the Deale Area Historical Society’s Harvest Day in the Village. Oct. 1, 1-4pm, Herrington Harbour North, Tracy’s Landing, free: www.dahs.us.

36 American Indian Festival

Celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of Native Americans at the eighth American Indian Festival, with live performances of traditional and contemporary music, dancing, drumming, singing and storytelling. Try your hand at beading, finger-weaving, flint-knapping, archery, crafts and games. Oct. 21, 10am-5pm, Patuxent River Park, Upper Marlboro, (fee for some activities, food sold): 301-627-6074.

Get to know citizens who lived here before us, including residents at historic Hammond Harwood House. Stories of love, tragedy and insanity are unearthed in this hour-long tour through the burying ground. Oct. 21, 4pm, St. Anne’s cemetery entrance, Annapolis; $15 w/discounts: www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

39 Get Lostin a Maze

Greenstreet Gardens specializes in fall fun with a five-acre maze cut in the image of the Brothers Osborne, plus hayrides, cow train ride, a nook in the woods with a giant spider web to climb, and more. Weekends thru Oct. 29, 10:30am-5pm, Lothian; $13: www.greenstreetgardens.com.

Return to the 16th century at the village of Revel Grove as King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the royal court arrive. Come in costume or rent them on-site to immerse yourself fully in this annual favorite; special themed weekends keep things lively. A variety of performances on multiple stages entertain all ages, as do jousting matches, magicians, jugglers, crafters and of course, giant turkey legs. Huzzah! Weekends thru Oct. 22, 10am-7pm, Crownsville festival grounds, $25 w/discounts: www.rennfest.com.

It’s an epidemic invasion as the living dead take over Kinder Park. Will you escape the brain-eaters as they stalk you along the 5K trail? Can you reach the Drop Dead Zone without becoming infected with the zombie virus? Oct. 28, zombie registration 8:30am, runner registration 9am, run 10am-noon, Kinder Farm Park, Millersville, zombies $20, runners $50 w/discounts: http://bit.ly/KinderZombieRun2017.

Dress the family for trick-or-treating on the wooded garden path, where costumed spirits hand out candy or treats. Plus art activities, food and drink. Oct. 28, 11am-4pm, Annmarie Garden, Solomons, $2 to benefit local charities: www.annmariegardens.org.

46 Historic Annapolis by Candlelight

A crisp autumn evening is the perfect time to walk through Annapolis’ historic neighborhoods, and it’s even better when the doors to some of these magnificent homes are open for you to step inside. See how 21st century Annapolitans care for and live in buildings from the 18th, 19th and 20th century. Nov. 3-4, 5-9pm, Historic Annapolis, $40 w/discounts, rsvp: www.annapolis.org.

47 Eastport-Annapolis Tug of War XX

Watch or lend a hand in the world’s longest International Tug of War over water — 1,700 feet — in the continuing rivalry between the Maritime Republic of Eastport and Annapolis. Nov. 4, 10am to join a team; festivities follow at City Dock and Chart House Restaurant. Tug heats start at the crack of noon on either side of Spa Creek Bridge: $25 to tug, free to cheer: themre.org.

48 (Red White and) Blue Tie Bountiful Harvest

Join The Friends of The Light House in contributing to end homelessness among veterans in Anne Arundel County. Food by local chefs and caterers, including The Light House’s own skills-developing enterprise, The Light House Bistro, and open bar, plus music and life and silent auctions. Wear red and white in addition to the traditional blue tie (or gown) in honor of Veterans Day. Nov. 10, 7-10pm, Loews Annapolis Hotel. $100-$150, rsvp: www.friendslhs.org.

49 Honor a Veteran

Celebrate those who serve or have served in the military. On Nov. 11, the original Armistice Day, join traditional Veterans Day ceremonies at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville and the World War II Memorial on Route 450 overlooking the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge and Severn River. Head to St. Mary’s County for one of our state’s largest parades (10am, Leonardtown), followed by a memorial wreath-laying ceremony.

50 Run for Fun and ­Fitness

Race for good causes to win prizes, bragging rights and justify your share of Halloween candy, Thanksgiving stuffing and pies.

Friends of the Poor 5K Run/Walk: Support the St. Katherine Drexel Conference and The St. Vincent Depaul Society run by Jesus the Divine Word parishioners to help families with housing, food and utility needs. Oct. 7, 8am, Calverton School, Huntingtown, $25, rsvp: 443-684-9261.